This week, The Duke and Duchess Of Sussex announced via an Instagram post that they “intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent” and the media has practically talked of nothing else since. Ever since Meghan Markle first started dating Prince Harry publicly, she’s been walking around with a tabloid target on her back, with newspapers scrutinising and, in many cases, criticising her – whether she's eating avocados or highlighting inspiring women in her special edition of Vogue. This criticism has often carried undertones of racist rhetoric and dogged her throughout her time as a royal, so much so that the palace even felt compelled to release an official statement denouncing her treatment by the press in 2017. That she and Harry have had enough of it and want to step out of the limelight should come as no surprise, but their dramatic decision to quit has sparked a media- and nationwide debate: are we finally ready to properly address racism in this country?

From the front pages of newspapers to our television screens, the Sussexes announcement and speculation about Meghan’s role in the decision has made headlines about racism in Britain all around the world, especially in the US. As Afua Hirsch notes in the New York Times, "From the very first headline about her being '(almost) straight outta Compton' and having 'exotic' DNA, the racist treatment of Meghan has been impossible to ignore." What has been revealed by her joining the royal family and the media's reaction to her decision to step away from it is the need to have an honest discussion about racism in the UK. “Their unceremonious ditching of the royal family is a reminder that we don’t just have to sit there and take [racism]," writes Natalie Morris for the Metro. "The critics are, of course, outraged, but walking away can be the most powerful weapon against racial abuse."

Debate about whether we have a racism problem in this country has not dominated the press this much since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1998 and 1999

Whereas in America race relations are often top of the news agenda, in Britain it’s something that is addressed less overtly or with less depth in the mainstream media. Debate about whether we have a racism problem in this country has not dominated the press this much since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1998 and 1999 and that it has taken a public figure at the very top of our social hierarchy to force an acknowledgment of the problem is very telling. We’re already seeing some sides of the press come out with their defences of the racism accusations, from the Telegraph’s Sherelle Jacobs' assertion that “Britain’s frustration with the Sussexes... is categorically not about Meghan’s race,” while in the same breath claiming that Markle identifying herself as a “woman of colour” “jarred” the British public to Piers Morgan insisting that “This 'It's all racism' defence of Meghan is so wrong and such a disgraceful smear on the British people who welcomed our first mixed-race royal with huge enthusiasm. Her racial background is not why she's been criticised.” These arguments often ignore the double standards that have been applied to Markle compared to the rest of the royals. The fact that we talk about racism so little in this country explains why so many people barely recognise it when they see it – even when it’s coming from their own mouths.

The ferocity of the debate has been played out on television, where panel discussions have often pitted white Establishment figures against black women and the different perceptions of the issue are immediately apparent. On the night of the Sussexes' announcement, we saw Amna Saleem on Newsnight, who said that other royals should have done more to publicly condemn the racism directed towards Markle and acknowledge the problem. “I struggle because I don’t understand why people are ignoring it and why people are pretending it didn’t happen, when we have proof, we have newspaper headlines, we have tweets, we have people posting pictures of monkeys and then claiming that that’s their baby,” she said. “There’s just been a series of events that have demeaned her as a black woman.” One response came from from former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt:
“I can see that this has been a considerable challenge, but as Roya [Nikkhah, another panellist] said, it’s clear that, if you look at the institution of the royal family, they have tried to accommodate her and that accommodation hasn’t been enough,” which placed the responsibility back on the Duchess.

The following night, on the same programme, singer and broadcaster Jamelia sat opposite historian Robert Lacey, who told her that, “Racism is all over the world. There are dreadful racist societies. Compared, we are not as bad as others.” Her response to this says it all: “Most of the people who are getting to speak about this are old, white men. Where are all the women of colour who are able to speak from experience? What qualifies you to comment confidently on this?”

Jamelia's point is something that all white people should consider when deciding to weigh in on the race debate that Harry and Meghan's announcement has brought so dramatically to life. Only a few weeks on since headlines were twisting Stormzy's words to imply that he said 100 per cent of Britain is racist, when all he actually meant is that our country "100 per cent" has a racism problem, it's clear that many are still in denial about the country not being a utopia of diversity. The conversation has now started. Let's hope it continues.